Qld deal on schools unlikely: Langbroek

Queensland Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek says Prime Minister Julia Gillard is the roadblock to ensuring his state signs on to the federal government's funding reforms for schools.

The conservative Queensland government has been one of the most vocal states in saying it is unlikely to sign on to Ms Gillard's signature education reform.

The federal government's plan is to offer states and territories a two-for-one dollar deal, worth $14.5 billion in total, over six years from 2014.

Queensland would have to provide around $1.33 billion, with Canberra adding the rest of the $3.8 billion increase for the state.

But Mr Langbroek says his state will probably not accept that offer.

"I am not confident that we are going to be able to do one (a deal) simply because the prime minister says she is going to get it done on her terms and refuses to negotiate," he told Sky News on Sunday.

The minister said Ms Gillard had to compromise for Queensland to sign on.

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"If the prime minister would like to give us more funding, we are confident that we can use it in the most efficient way without the replication of bureaucracy we often get from the commonwealth," he said.

Mr Langbroek said his state had a plan to increase spending by $835 million across the 1700 schools in Queensland.

He said his three questions on the funding package were how much extra money for Queensland, how much its share would be and how many of the state's schools be worse off under the plan.

NSW Liberal Premier Barry O'Farrell was the first state leader to sign onto the funding plan.

Mr Langbroek said NSW was more involved in the negotiations than other conservative states Victoria or Queensland.

Queensland only became aware of the funding details when they was released on April 14, with his department still working through it, Mr Langbroek said.

Treasurer Wayne Swan says Campbell Newman's Liberal National Party (LNP) government in Queensland is only interested in playing politics with schools funding.

"They are scrambling for every excuse in the book to not sign up to these critical reforms. But none of them stack up - how can he say with a straight face he doesn't know what the funding offer is?" Mr Swan said.

"If Queensland signs up to the plan, it would mean $3.8 billion in extra education funding for this state's schools."

Mr Newman and Mr Langbroek are preventing better resources and more funds being provided for classes across Queensland, he said.

The Queensland government should follow the lead of NSW Liberal Premier Barry O'Farrell in signing on the plan to improve the education for its state's pupils.

"Mr Newman and minister Langbroek must put the kids of Queensland first - if they baulk this extra funding, the LNP will have failed our schools and our kids," Mr Swan said.